


Four Conversations (and One that Never Hapened)

by amy_vic



Category: West Wing
Genre: F/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-10
Updated: 2010-03-10
Packaged: 2017-10-07 20:53:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/69135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amy_vic/pseuds/amy_vic





	Four Conversations (and One that Never Hapened)

_i_

The first time they met, it was at a late night meet-and-greet, about a week after Jed Bartlet won his first campaign. He was busy and she knew it; her own campaign staff were running around fueled only by adrenaline and Red Bull, and they weren't the ones moving into the White House.

Their conversation lasted much longer than it should have (twice, Andy noticed Leo McGarry out of the corner of her eye, obviously wanting to interrupt), and Toby didn't so much as glance at her chest; he looked her in the eye the entire time.  
  


_ii_

The first time they had dinner together didn't start out as a date; it was supposed to be a simple business meeting to discuss...something that neither of them actually remember now.

Andy remembers the earrings she wore (borrowed from her sister because she couldn't find the pair that really went with the dress she had on), and the fact that Toby wasn't afraid to disagree with her. They ended up fighting over the check, which Andy eventually won. (Her reasoning was that, since Toby's salary was paid by the people, she'd be paying for it either way.)

Toby remembers that Andy wore a dove gray dress with a dark green sash around her waist. On anyone else, it would have looked like crap and made them look like they were dying, but on Andy, it looked stunning. He also remembers how, when he moved to light up a cigar after dinner, Andy asked if he had enough to share with "the whole class"; otherwise, he was being pretty rude. (She laughed as he reached into his pocket for another one; she hadn't smoked since college, but appreciated the gesture anyways.)  
  


_iii_

One night, not long after Jed Bartlet took office, Toby arrived in his office to find a blueberry pie sitting in a plastic container on his desk blotter. There was a fork wrapped in a paper napkin next to it; when Toby unrolled the napkin, he saw that a note had been scrawled on it:

_Toby,_

_One of my constituents has this thing about baking me pie. I'd have given this one to Sam, but according to Margaret, he's allergic to blueberries._

_If you don't like it, let me know.  
~Andy_   
  


_iv_  
Toby showed up at Andy's front door one night about a week later, intending only to drop off some paperwork from Leo (Margaret claimed it was very important, and couldn't wait until morning). Andy answered the door with flour on her cheek and a dishtowel over one shoulder.

Toby tried not to openly gawk at the fact that only three of the buttons on her shirt were fastened, or the small rip just above the right knee of her jeans.

Andy noticed, and her nose crinkled up a little when she laughed. "The pie was that good, huh? Come back for more?"

"No, I, well, yes, actually, it was very good. But I'm here for, ah...Leo, wanted me to bring this over. Said it couldn't wait." Toby scratched his cheek absently as he shifted the file in his hand.

"I bet," Andy said, stepping back from the door and tilting her head. "Well, come in, then."

Toby blinked.

"Toby, seriously. If I know Leo, whatever's in that file, he'll want an answer by morning. Besides," Andy grinned, "I just made more pie, it's a new recipe, and I could use a guinea pig. Get in here and I'll fix you a drink."  
  


_v_

In April, Andy throws a party. There's no real reason for it, except that the weather's been unseasonably warm for D.C and she feels like filling her house with good friends, food, and music. Plus, she bought a new dress the week before, and having a good excuse to wear something new always cancels out the fact that you spent a little too much on it, right?

The guest list is relatively small, only about 30 people, but it's a mix of Congress, the White House, her neighbours, and her old friend Mary who flew in to town two days ago. Since she and Mary have been friends since before they could legally drink (not that they drank while underage, of course; that would be very wrong), Andy has offered up her guest room in exchange for help doing all the food for the party. Mary knows that Andy can't do it all by herself-not mater how much she claims she's fine-and that she also won't admit defeat and call a caterer, so she agrees, packing a few extra dishtowels and her grandmother's recipe book into her carry-on.

Matt Skinner shows up first, kissing Andy's cheek and hugging Mary as comfortably as you can when you've just met someone. By the time Andy's handed him a drink, though he and Mary are discussing whether Craig Kilborn is better than Jon Stewart, so Andy knows they'll get along fine.

Andy's pulling the cheesecake out of the oven when Mary lets Leo in. She cranes her neck to see the doorway, and tells herself that she's only looking to see that Mary isn't handing him a glass of wine.


End file.
